Category — Movie Reviews

Ok, so it’s not for kids.  I think there are political, social and moral messages hidden in here somewhere (the not so subtle quote at the end of the movie is a reminder).   And I am not sure that this film portrays America in a great light overall.

But damn was this movie entertaining.   I thought Tom Hanks played his role perfectly, but Philip Seymour Hoffman stole the show.   The scene in which he is arguing with his boss and breaks his window (again) had me laughing out loud.  Later in the film, he again steals the scene from Hanks as he’s ushered in and out of the congressman’s office and ultimately confesses to planting a listening device on the bottle of scotch he brought with him.

The casting overall was excellent – from the girl’s in Wilson’s office, to the other members of congress, to the foreign dignataries – just enough of a real feel while still providing comic sensibility. 

I rarely see movies that I think I probably won’t like and then I do – but this is one of them.  I don’t know why, but this movie never really seemed to interest me.  Perhaps it was the subject matter.  However, after seeing it I can say it will be on my “watch again” list.

4 out of 5 stars.  Check it out.

Who is the real star of this movie?  How about New York City itself!  Don’t get me wrong, Will Smith does a great job of keeping the audience’s interest while being just about the only character on screen – but Manhattan after the terrible virus has done it’s work is even more captivating.

The flesh-eating zombies, victims of the virus but escapees of death, are pretty darn interesting but they just aren’t in the film enough.

 A few years after an epidemic (created by mankind) has ostensibly killed off almost all humans on the planet, Dr. Neville (Smith) roams the streets of NYC by day, methodically searching each neighborhood in search of supplies and hopefully survivors.  Of course, there are a few – his german shephard, and the infected survivors to boot.  At night, he locks himself away in a fortress-like house and waits out the screams and howls of the infected until the next morning when he can resume his routine.  All the while he broadcasts on AM frequencies to anyone who will listen.

The special effects are great – the sets are incredible.  It’s hard to tell sometimes where the real world ends and CGI begins.  Of course there are exceptions, but overall there’s a lot of eye candy in the film.

I never grew tired of following Neville around Manhattan, always wondering what would challenge him next.  His relentless search for a cure for the disease is a nice backdrop to his daily fight for survival.

When at last Neville does encounter non-infected survivors, the film starts to wane a bit.  For me, it was more enjoyable with just Smith onscreen.  The somewhat predictable ending doesn’t quite ruin the film, but I would have preferred a few more answers and a bit less sap.  Nevertheless, it was still a good film.

By the way, I didn’t read the book and am curious as to other people’s interpretation of the trap Neville finds himself in halfway through the film.  Did the infected set it?  Did he set it himself?  Was he crazy?  The possibilities are endless – perhaps the truth is revealed in the novel.

4 out of 5 stars.  Check it out.